COVID-19 patients
Bangladesh continues to report alarming Covid deaths
The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh keeps worsening as 50 new deaths and 3,319 infections were recorded in 24 hours till 8 am Tuesday.
The positivity rate fell slightly to 14.27% on Tuesday from Monday’s 14.80%, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Bangladesh recorded more than 50 deaths on May 9 this year and over 3,000 cases on April 27.
With the new figures, the country’s death toll now stands at 13,222 while the caseload at 833,291.
During the period, the fatality rate remained static at 1.59%, shows the DGHS handout.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 23,265 samples during the period, while the country so far tested 6,218,979 samples.
As of now, 771,073 people have recovered from Covid infections, putting the country’s recovery rate at 92.53%.
Also read: RMCH sees 12 more Covid deaths in 24 hrs
Rajshahi and Khulna divisions recorded the highest 15 deaths today, while Dhaka and Chattogram divisions recorded six deaths each; Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions three deaths each and Barishal and Rangpur divisions one death each.
Vaccination Drive
Bangladesh, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 vaccination due to jab shortage amid a delay in the arrival of shipments from India.
Some 4,257,499 people got the second dose of this vaccine while the number is 58,20,015 for the first one.
Besides, the total number of people receiving their first jab of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine is 2,162.
RMCH sees 12 more Covid deaths in 24 hrs
Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) recorded 12 more deaths from Coronavirus infection in 24 hours until 6 am on Tuesday.
Among them, eight were Covid-19 patients while the rest four died after showing Covid-19 symptoms at the hospital, said director of the hospital Brigadier General Shamim Yeazdani.
Read:Lockdown/Lock-in: Rajshahi taken off rail network to fight surge in infections
Of the deceased, three were from Rajshahi, seven from Chapainawabganj, one each from Natore and Naogaon districts.
A total of 148 people have died of Covid-19 in Rajshahi division in the last 15 days till Tuesday morning as situation is worsening in different border districts.
Shamim Yazdani said 58 people were admitted to the Corona unit of the hospital in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
Of them, 39 are from Rajshahi, eight from Chapainawabganj, four from Natore, five from Naogaon and two from Kushtia.
Read: Lockdown in two Natore municipal areas extended by a week
Forty-three people were discharged from the hospital after recovery during the period.
Besides, 325 people are undergoing treatment against 273 beds at the Corona unit of the hospital.
Of them, 189 are from Rajshahi, 82 from Chapainawabganj, 17 from Natore, 26 from Naogaon, four from Pabna, six from Kushtia and one from Chuadanga.
Read: 14-day lockdown in Damurhuda to contain Covid spread
However, the hospital authorities are providing treatment after arranging additional beds, said Shamim.
As the coronavirus situation in Rajshahi kept worsening the district administration imposed a strict lockdown from 5pm on June 4 till June 17 midnight.
13 more lives lost to Covid-19 at RMCH
Thirteen more patients died of Covid-19 at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the last 24 hours until 8 am on Sunday.
Among them, six were Covid-19 patients while the rest seven died after showing Covid-19 symptoms at the hospital, said director of the hospital Brigadier General Shamim Yeazdani.
Read:Lockdown/Lock-in: Rajshahi taken off rail network to fight surge in infections
Two of the deceased hailed from Rajshahi, six from Chapainawabganj, three from Naogaon and one each from Natore and Kushtia districts, he added.
So far, 125 people, including 70 Covid-19 patients, have died at the Corona unit of the hospital from June 1 till June 13.
Forty-two new patients have got admitted to the hospital in the past 24 hours while 35 have been discharged.
294 people have been undergoing treatment at the hospital against 271 beds at the Corona unit of the hospital.
Read:12 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
However, the hospital authorities are providing treatment after arranging additional beds, said Shamim.
As the coronavirus situation in Rajshahi kept worsening the district administration imposed a strict lockdown from 5pm on Friday till June 17 midnight.
After an emergency meeting on Thursday night, deputy commissioner of the district Abdul Jalil announced the lockdown.
Read: 8 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
During the lockdown all public transports and shops in the district will remain closed except emergency and medical services.
Besides, passenger train services between Rajshahi and other parts of the country remained suspended.
India reports 80,834 new COVID-19 cases
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 29,439,989 on Sunday, with as many as 80,834 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry.
Besides, 3,303 COVID-19 patients died since Saturday morning taking the death toll to 370,384.
Read: Indian state revises death counts up by 70%
This was the sixth consecutive day when less than 100,000 cases were registered across the country, after peaking to over 400,000 for several days in April-May which was dubbed as the pandemic's second wave.
Still there are 1,026,159 active cases, after a decrease of 54,531 active cases during the past 24 hours.
Read: India's cumulative Covid-19 vaccine coverage crosses 240 million-mark
A total of 28,043,446 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals across the country, with 132,062 of them discharged since Saturday morning.
Bangladesh loses 43 more lives to Covid-19, toll crosses 13,000
Covid-19 claimed 43 lives in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours until Friday morning as the upward march of the virus took the country's fatalities to 13,032.
The positivity rate which was 13.25% on Thursday – the highest in 46 days since April 25 this year – almost remained unchanged at 13.24%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country logged 2,454 new cases after testing 18,535 samples as the administration of the first dose of the vaccine remains suspended here since April 26.
The new number took Bangladesh's caseload to 822,849. However, the recovery rate and fatality rate remained unchanged at 92.59% and 1.58%.
Rajshahi division saw the highest fatalities during the period with the death of 11 people while Chattogram witnessed 10 deaths, Dhaka eight, Khulna seven, Rangpur four, Barishal two, and Mymensingh one.
Also read: Bangladesh to get over 10 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX: FM
Vaccination drive
So far, four vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sputnik-V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer-BioNTech – have got the approval for emergency use in Bangladesh.
Covid-19: Bangladesh registers 43 more deaths; positivity rate hits 11.03%
As Coronavirus-related deaths and infections keep growing in Bangladesh again, the country recorded 43 more deaths in the past 24 hours till Saturday morning.
Besides, 1,447 new cases were registered during the period, taking the country's caseload to 809,314.
With the latest death toll, the total number of fatalities rose to 12,801.
The daily infection rate climbed to 11.03% from Friday's 10.40% while the mortality rate remained static at 1.58%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new cases were detected after testing 13,115 samples.
Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions saw the highest fatalities during the period with 12 deaths each while Chattogram division witnessed eight deaths, Khulna five, Rangpur three, Mymensingh two and Sylhet one.
Of the deceased, 30 were men while 13 women.
Of them, one was below 10 years, one in his 20s, five are 30 years old, two of 40, 13 are of 50 old and 21 are above 60 years.
READ: 1st USAID consignment of Covid-19 response relief on way to Bangladesh
However, 749,425 patients have recovered so far, keeping the country’s recovery rate at 92.60%.
Bangladesh reported its first Covid cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
IEDCR study of 50 samples finds 40 are Delta
Delta, the Coronavirus variant first found in India, turned out to be 80% of some 50 genomes sequenced in Bangladesh since May 16 by IEDCR. There is also evidence of community transmission of the variant, according to research jointly carried out by IEDCR and IDSHI.
The study also identified one "unknown variant" and found 8 of the samples (16%) to be infected with the South African variant.
IEDCR and IDSHI collected and analysed 50 samples from across the country, including border districts and the capital since May 16.
The research also found 40 out of the total 50 cases as Delta variant, known as Indian variant, in samples collected from Chapainawabganj, Gopalganj, Khulna, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Bagerhat, Jhenaidah and Pirojpur.
Also read: Indian Variant: The New Concern
Also, among the 40 patients, eight were tested positive after returning from India while 18 others came in contact with overseas returnees although they did not travel abroad.
Meanwhile, among the samples collected, 14 infected people neither went abroad nor came in contact with people with travel history. So, it is clear that the Indian variant is being transmitted at the community level inside the country, the research said.
On May 8, the Indian variant was detected in Bangladesh for the first time. All of the infected people returned from the neighbouring country.
The "highly contagious" Indian Delta variant was first detected in October last year. The World Health Organization labelled it a "variant of concern."
Also read: 8 Indian variant cases identified in Jashore
Bangladesh records 34 more Covid deaths; positivity rate crosses 10%
As the administration of the first dose of the vaccine remains suspended in Bangladesh since April 26, the country continues to battle Covid-19, logging 1,887 new cases after testing 18,151 samples until Friday morning.
The new number took the country's caseload to 807,867. Also, the daily infection rate rose to 10.40% from Thursday's 9.94% while the mortality rate remained static at 1.58%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Meanwhile, the country confirmed 34 more deaths during the same period, raising the total number of fatalities to 12,758.
Dhaka division saw the highest fatalities during the period with the death of nine people while Chattogram witnessed six deaths, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Rangpur five each, Sylhet three and Barishal one.
READ: Covid-19: Govt to vaccinate 25 lakh people each month
However, 747,758 patients have recovered so far since the country reported its first Covid cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Correlation between death rate, cases observed
To get an accurate measure of death rate, the number of infected people should be used as the denominator and the deceased as the numerator – both of which occurred and ended within a specified time, Dr AM Zakir Hussain, former director of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research, told UNB.
"But for a disease like Covid-19, which still rages on, the rate should be considered in reference to a specific and relevant time. A recent assessment showed that the highest number of deaths occurred 14 days after the highest number of Covid-19 cases – a situation that still prevails in Bangladesh and India. So, the current method for estimating death rate is not accurate," he said.
What’s test positivity?
The Covid-19 positivity rate indicates, among other things, the number of people showing clinical features of the disease or the percentage of individuals suffering from the disease. Such estimation has two errors, Dr Zakir said.
READ: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 30 more deaths, 1,687 new infections
"One, an RT-PCR test, based on the present method of sample collection, misses about one-third of the actual cases. Two, when more than 20 cycles of diagnostic procedures are repeated even a single virus in a sample would show a positive result, which, however, will not indicate that the person who gave the sample will transmit the infection to others or that they will come down with the disease. An RT-PCR test shows positive results even when the virus is dead," he added.
Lockdown in districts
Due to the recent rise in Covid infections in frontier districts, district administrations have imposed lockdowns in Rajshahi, Khulna, Satkhira and parts of Naogaon districts to curb the transmission of the virus.
The district administrations have been given the authority to enforce lockdowns in their areas if the Covid-19 situation worsens.
Nine more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
As many as nine Covid-19 patients have died at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Thursday.
Deputy Director of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital, Saiful Ferdous, said, “The nine patients were undergoing treatment at the hospital. They succumbed to coronavirus after their condition worsened."
Read:Thakurgaon seals border areas to contain Covid
“Of the deceased, five were from Chapainawabganj district, two from Rajshahi, and one each from Naogaon and Pabna districts,” he added.
With the fresh deaths, the district's fatality count has reached 77 people since May 24.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities are also struggling to deal with the sudden surge in Covid cases in the district. As many as 224 Covid-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. Of the 224, some 101 are from Rajshahi district and 96 from Chapainawabganj district.
In the past 24 hours, some 29 people have been admitted to the hospital with Covid-19 symptoms. Of them, 14 are from Rajshahi district, 11 from Chapainawabganj, three from Naogaon and one from Pabna district, said sources at the hospital.
“Only critical Covid patients are being admitted to the hospital,” said Saiful.
Read: Bangladesh’s frontier districts brace for Covid ‘catastrophe’: Experts
It may be mentioned here that authorities in some border districts have already imposed strict restrictions for a week to contain the spread of coronavirus. This was after the government recently empowered the district authorities to take a call on lockdown restrictions in their respective areas.
Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil announced the restrictions on Wednesday afternoon. No one will be allowed to step out of the house from 7 pm to 8 am in Rajshahi until June 9 unless there's an emergency.
All business establishments will remain shut and no vehicles are allowed to ply on the roads except those providing emergency services. However, restaurants and traders can provide their services online.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Wednesday recorded 34 new coronavirus-related deaths and some 2,000 fresh cases in 24 hours.
Health authorities detected 1,988 new cases after testing 20,259 samples during the period. The number of tests has also increased over the past one week.
Read: Covid protocols go for a toss at Sonahat Land Port
With the new cases, the total caseload has risen to 8,04,293, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new deaths have pushed up the fatality count to 12,694.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Covid-19: Strict restrictions imposed in Rajshahi, parts of Khulna, Naogaon
The local administration of some of the border districts have imposed strict restrictions for seven days to check the transmission of the Indian variant of coronavirus.
The decisions were taken after separate meetings as the government allowed the local administrations to impose lockdown if the situation worsens in their areas.
Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil announced the restrictions on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the fresh restrictions, none will be allowed to leave their houses from 7 pm to 8 am without any emergency reason in Rajshahi until June 9.
All business establishments and vehicular movement will remain shut during the time except those providing emergency services. However restaurants and traders can provide services online.
However, mango farmers and traders will carry on their business on a limited scale maintaining social distance.
Also read: Naogaon municipality, Niamatpur upazila put under one week lockdown
Similar restrictions have also been imposed in Rupsha Upazila, Khulna Sadar, Sonadanga and Khalishpur upazilas of Khulna for a week which will start from June 4.
Khulna Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Helal Hossain came up with the decision after a meeting with the district coronavirus prevention committee on Wednesday morning in presence of Khulna City Corporation Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleq.
All shops except pharmacies in those places will remain closed for a week from June 4.
Mobile courts and police were instructed to take necessary steps to ensure people maintain the health guidelines.
The city mayor said no gathering would be allowed after evening.
He also instructed all to maintain social distance and use masks.
Also read: Lockdown extended in Rohingya camps, Teknaf upazila
Besides, Naogaon municipality, Niamatpur upazila have been put under lockdown for a week.